Adding a pinch of organization to our flavorful group

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Our September read, brought to us by Katherine Owens, proves to be a timely one. See below for the Amazon review as well as the other two “almost reads” that Katherine brough to our attention.

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, June 2014: Cristina Henríquez’s powerful novel The Book of Unknown Americans captures readers with the quiet beauty of her characters and their profoundly wrought experiences as immigrants in America. The story takes place in a run-down apartment building in Delaware, home to nine families who arrived in the States from various South and Central American countries, each looking to better the lives of the next generation. In alternating chapters, these men and women share stories of how their adopted country has left its mark on them, for better and worse. The close bond that develops between the Rivera and Toro families drives the novel forward, particularly the relationship between their children Mayor and Maribel, as closely held secrets and feelings of guilt, love, hope, and despair are unpacked with warmth and compassion. With her cast of “unknown Americans,” Henriquez has crafted a novel that is inspiring, tragic, brave, and above all, unforgettable. –Seira Wilson

Does the world need yet another novel about WWII? It does when the novel is as inventive and beautiful as this one by Anthony Doerr. In fact, All the Light We Cannot See–while set mostly in Germany and France before and during the war–is not really a “war novel”. Yes, there is fear and fighting and disappearance and death, but the author’s focus is on the interior lives of his two characters. Marie Laure is a blind 14-year-old French girl who flees to the countryside when her father disappears from Nazi-occupied Paris. Werner is a gadget-obsessed German orphan whose skills admit him to a brutal branch of Hitler Youth. Never mind that their paths don’t cross until very late in the novel, this is not a book you read for plot (although there is a wonderful, mysterious subplot about a stolen gem). This is a book you read for the beauty of Doerr’s writing– “Abyss in her gut, desert in her throat, Marie-Laure takes one of the cans of food…”–and for the way he understands and cherishes the magical obsessions of childhood. Marie Laure and Werner are never quaint or twee. Instead they are powerful examples of the way average people in trying times must decide daily between morality and survival. –Sara Nelson

2.) The Romonov Sisters: the Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, Helen Rappaport
They were the Princess Dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses—Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it. The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Helen Rappaport aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados.

5.) Place all dressing ingredients in blender in order listed and blend until emulsified

6.) Pour dressing over salad and mix well.

Savory Granola (Caroline Yeilding)

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup pistachios

½ cup sliced or slivered almonds

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

¼ cup olive oil

1 egg white, beaten with a whisk until frothy

1 Tablespoon fennel seed (I added a little less)

Cayenne pepper to taste (I added a few healthy dashes of Aleppo pepper and a pinch of cayenne)

¼ t salt

1 Tablespoon honey

Preheat Oven to 350. Combine all ingredients, stirring well. Press firmly onto a baking sheet (compressing the granola makes it more “clumpy”) and cook for 15-18 minutes, turning the granola with a spatula after 7 minutes.

Here are a few things questions to muse over before our meeting next Thursday:
1.) What did you think of the characters and the character development, especially the main character?
2.) Did you like Roy? Why/why not?
3.) Why is the title Galveston?
4.) What makes a hero/heroine?
5.) Are there any in this book?
6.) What makes a good character in any genre?
7.) What did you think of the writing/language?
8.) What did you think of the use of the 2 time tracks?
9.) Most of the violence did not bother me — am I depraved or is that good noir?